The norrls pctchs co



UNITED STATES PATENT UEETQE.

HENRY M. HUME AND FREDERIC T. HUME, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRAMWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,368, dated December28, 1897.

Application filed August 6, 1896.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HENRY M. HUME and FREDERIC T. HUME, citizens of theUnited States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTramway-Switches; andwe do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The object of our invention is to provide a switch for railways whichcan be operated from the car, thus doing away with the necessity ofhaving a man stationed at every curve, intersection, or other pointwhere cars are switched from one track to another.

It is intended to equip those points where tracks intersect or branchand switches are employed with a device such as that shown by thedrawings- At a point distant fifty feet, more or less, from the pointwhere the tracks diverge will be a striking-plate, this striking-plateto consist of two pieces or blocks curved on their inner faces or sidesand of suflicient thickness that the top of each piece will be fair orlevel with the top of the rail. These pieces will be placed one ateither side of the rail or at one side of each rail where necessary ordesirable, these pieces to be connected by a plate or by bars beneaththe rail or rails and so arranged that when onepart is close to the railthe other will be removed from the rail bya distance about equal to thediameter of a plunger located on acar. .(Not shown.)

Connected to the striking-plate,as described above,will be a lever whichwill extend along the side of the rail to a point opposite the tongue ofthe switch proper at the intersection of the tracks, to which tongue itwill be connected by a rod passing beneath the rail. In the drawingsthis bar is shown pivoted at a point intermediate between the points ofits connection to the striking-plate and the tongue of the switch. Oneof the plungers hereinbefore mentioned, having been depressed, strikesupon a traveling or guiding plate and,following the side of therail,works its way between the rail and the curved side $eria1 No.601,868. (No model.)

of the striking-block, forcing the latter outward. The lever-bar, beingconnected to the striking-block, is either forced away from or broughtclose to the rail according to which plunger has been depressed, thusmoving the tongue at the other end and either closing or opening theswitch.

The different parts are to be properly inclosed in iron boxes, as shownin some of the views.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan of the switch, its two positionsbeing shown in dotted and full lines. Fig. 2 is a section through y y,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view through 2 .2, Fig. 1. Fig. etis asection through w w, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section through a box to belocated at o '0, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view.

15 is a rail having a switch-tongue 16.

17 is an iron box located on both sides of the rail 15 at apredetermined point, said box having removable covers 18.

19 are grooves formed on a portion of the box 17.

20 are rods or guides adapted to slide in the grooves 19. One end ofthese rods is cut away, as at 21, and one end of a switch-operatinglever 22 is secured in said cut-away portion, as clearly shown in thedetail perspective view, Fig. 6.

23 is a cam-block secured on the top of the switch-lever 22 over therods or guides 20, said block having a lateral extension or flange 24.25 is a similar block secured to the other end of the rods or guides. 26is a flange similar to the flange 24. The flanges 24 and 26 work in theboxes 17, immediately under the cover 18.

27 is an iron box located as shown and provided with a cover 28.

29 is a lateral extension or lug inside the box, to which the lever 22is pivoted by means of a bolt 30. p

31 is a lateral extension integral with and outside of the box providedwith suitable spike or bolt holes.

32 is the sleeper under rail 15, to which the box 27 is secured by meansof spikes or bolts 33. The rail 15 rests on the lateral extension 31.

3i is another iron box having a cover similar to the other boxes. Theend of the lever 22 works in this box.

35 is an opening or slot in one side of the box 3i, through which a linkor rod 36 is adapted to slide. One end of the rod or link 36 isconnected, by means of a bolt 37, to the switch-tongue 16, while theother end is connected to the operating-lever 22 by means of a bolt 38.39 is a slot in the rail 15, in which the bolt 37 slides when the switchis operated.

The operation is obvious and hence need not be described.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a switch, a grooved base, guides adapted to engage said groovedbase, a lever, one end of which is secured to said guides, the other toa switch-tongue, cam-blocks secured to said guides, said cam-blocksbeing located one on each side of a track-rail.

2. In a switch, a track-rail and switchtongue, a box located on eachside of the rail at a predetermined point a grooved base formed on aportion of said box, under the rail, guides adapted to work in saidgrooves, an operating-lever, one end of which is socured to said guides,the other to the switchtongue, cam-blocks secured to the guides, one oneach side of the rail.

3. In a switch, a track-rail and switchtongue, a lever one end of whichis connected with said tongue, an iron box located on each side of thetrack-rail, cain-blocks secured to the free end of said lover, a lateralflange extending from the rear of each cam-block, said flange working insaid iron box.

4. In a railway-switch, a traek-rail and switch-tongue, a leverconnected with said tongue, a box located at the fulcrum-point of saidlever, a laterally-extending flange or lug inside of said box, to whichthe said lever is fulcrumed, and a laterally-extending flange outside ofthe box provided with spike or bolt openings whereby the box is securedto a block, said outside flange extending underneath the track-rail.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

HENRY M. HUME. FREDERIC T. HUME. Witnesses:

WALTER MCGUOKIN, E. R. MCCORMICK.

